[nickpeterson]

I don’t plan on buying a Tesla anytime soon, but the amount of critics that seem to hate everything they do is stunning to me. They are producing an electric car you can buy. They basically forced other companies to produce electric cars you can buy. It’s awesome. Be a little kid again for just a minute...

[perl4ever]

"They are producing an electric car you can buy. They basically forced other companies to produce electric cars you can buy. It’s awesome. Be a little kid again for just a minute..."

This seems like a proverbial "reality distortion field" to me. The Tesla model 3 came out about 7 years after the Nissan Leaf, didn't it? And given a reasonable budget, it's arguably still not an example of a car "you can buy".

Yes, there were Teslas before the model 3, but there were also electric cars from other manufacturers for many years.

[_ea1k]

TBH, I think the idea that the Leaf from 7 years ago is in the same segment requires some distortion of reality. The Leaf is not nearly as sporty, had a much lower range, and also had a much less reliable battery.

The modern Leaf fixes these problems by being as expensive as a Model 3, and its still slower.

[perl4ever]

It's not in the same segment, but it's in the segment people pretend the model 3 is in - an electric car for the ordinary person.

[ilikehurdles]

The modern leaf is close to $10,000 cheaper than a Model 3. $31600 vs $39990.

[_ea1k]

At $31k, the Leaf does not have fast charging and has a range of 149 miles. Want "Quick" charging at a peak rate of 50KW? That's the $34k Leaf, which still has a range of 149 miles. Granted, this comes with a tax break, but comparing MSRP to MSRP, the SR Model 3 looks like the better deal at 220 miles of range.

To get to 226 miles of range with the Leaf puts you at $38k. To also get intelligent cruise (standard on the SR+ Model 3 at 40k), you will need another couple thousand dollars on the Leaf.

The tax break and dealer negotiation do make the Leaf cheaper, but the list price alone really doesn't.